Seed germination

[firewired]

I'm trying to germinate some Drosera spatulata seeds. It's been about three weeks, and it looks like there might be some mold starting to grow in there. I have them in an old strawberry plastic case. There are holes on the sides of the lid and on the bottom in case I need to give it some more water. It is covered, but the holes allow some air circulation. I'm not giving it any direct sun, just bright light. Maybe patience is just the key here.......but is there anything I'm not doing correctly? Thanks in advance.

- Joel

 

[mabudon]

What kind of medium are you using??
You should be seeing sprouts sometime soon, unless the mold is in fact all that remains of the seeds
They don't really need light, and it sounds as if you may want to improve circulation a bit, air-wise

And patience is always a good thing, if your growing medium is correct and moist, AND the seeds were viable, patience (and maybe a bit more air, again) might very well be the only thing missing

 

[jimscott]

This is more of an anectdote, than it is advice, but: Ever notice that when you specifically go out of your way to germinate seeds, with all the right conditions (temps, light, humidity, media, etc....) it can be a struggle? Yet, I have all these miscellaneous seedlings popping up all over the place, with no efforts on my part. Strange.

What Carl said is true. Joel, do you have a magnifying glass to see if there isn't already some germination? You might be surprised.

 

[firewired]

I don't have one at my place, but I could take a picture of it with my digital and zoom in on my computer. I'll try that and see what I can see. Do you think I should uncover them to get more airflow so the mold will quit growing? I thought humidity was real important for germination but maybe it's the same as with the plants.......not as much of a factor as I thought.

The medium I'm using it 2:1:1 lfseat:sand. Thanks guys.

 

[jimscott]

I would try opening it up, if only to help with the mold. Yes, humidity is important, but not at the risk of mold. I always try to think of what is happening in nature. Normally spring thaws and rains provide all the moisture / humidity necessary to germinate seeds, but they aren't covered. We provide an artificial environment and that changes the variables. You can try a little cinnamon as a mold inhibitor, as has been suggested by some. I haven't used it to be able to speak from experience. This year I have seen a lot of seedlings emerge without any help from me, which also means that they hadn't been covered.

 

[firewired]

Thanks Jim! I'll give that a try!